Braun passes initial exam

Sharks defenseman Justin Braun is one of those guys who takes the term student-athlete seriously, although there were days last spring he probably wished he did not.

May 8, in particular.

The night before, Braun logged a ton of ice time in Manchester as Worcester lost to the Monarchs, 2-1, and saw its Calder Cup run come to a crashing end in overtime. Then came the bus ride back home and a little bit of sleep before he hopped in the car to drive out to Amherst to take an economics final.

The academic result turned out a bit better than the hockey one. There was no overtime and Braun passed the exam.

Sort of like he passed his hockey exams, the ones given by AHL forwards and goalies when Braun joined the Sharks in April after his college career at UMass ended.

In his first game as a pro, Braun had three assists and was plus-4 in a 9-2 Worcester victory in Hartford. He wound up playing three regular-season games and was plus-7. Braun took a regular shift in all 11 Calder Cup games and wound up 0-3-3 and plus-4 for the playoffs.

Coach Roy Sommer gave him high marks.

“He’s the real deal,” Sommer said. “The thing about him is that he might not be with us very long. He might be one of those guys who’s on the fast track, although sometimes defensemen take a little longer. We see him for a little while, he gets called up, and we don’t see him again.”

That’s the dilemma AHL fans face on an annual basis. They see a Joe Pavelski and think of the possibilities, but all the possibilities are actually in San Jose. Or they watch a Logan Couture become a Rookie of the Year candidate, then catch him on the very late news helping San Jose win a Stanley Cup playoff game.

When Braun arrived in the Sharks’ dressing room last April, it was almost like old home week. He was one of four UMass products on the Worcester roster, joining James Marcoux, Matt Irwin and Cory Quirk. That made the transition to the pros a little easier for Braun, but it wasn’t like he thought he was still in college.

“It felt a little like home,” Braun said, “knowing so many guys. But for me, I was more focused on trying to get back in shape at the same time I was playing.”

You had to look carefully last year to see how well Braun played. He didn’t score a lot of goals and didn’t get into any fights or take penalties. It was more of a case that the Sharks usually scored when he was on the ice and the other team didn’t.

“He’s gonna be an offensive guy,” Sommer said. “He can get the puck through to the net and makes a good first pass.”

It was about a month between Braun’s last game at UMass and his first one with the Sharks, so if he was a little rusty, he was also well rested. He may not feel as well rested next April, which is one reason the late-season call-up is important.

“I’ve got an idea now of what to expect,” he said, “coming in this year after last year — the grind of the pro season. In college, we play 36 games, maybe a few more. But it’s half of a pro season.”

Braun is from Vadnais Heights, Minn., a town just outside St. Paul. He was heavily recruited by UMass coach Don Cahoon and wound up playing for the Minutemen for a full four years — and loving it.

He played in 150 games, tying Quirk for the school record, and was on the Hockey East All-Rookie team, earned All-America selections, and last year was voted the top college defenseman in New England.

Braun is a resource economics major — he has a couple of classes left to get his degree. He plans to finish classes, but this time it will be online, not on the blueline like last spring.

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